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/he City History Club 




Summary of JVoj^k 

_ 1906-1907 

The City History Club begins the work of the present 
season under most favorable auspices. The Club and The 
League for Political Education have formed an alliance by 
which the Club retains its own officers, traditions and inde- 
pendent organization as before, but the League assumes 
the responsibility for the executive management of the 
work. This step was made necessary by the growth of the 
Club and promises more effective activity and larger useful- 
ness for the future. 

Classes 

During the past year there were enrolled about fifteen 
hundred student members in fifty-six classes. Twenty-five 
classes were taught by eight paid teachers, and thirty-one 
classes by twenty-five volunteer teachers. Of these classes 
thirty-seven were in settlements, thirteen in schools and 
three in churches. There were twenty-seven classes of 
boys, sixteen of girls, twelve of both sexes and five of adults. 
Of the sixteen supporters of paid classes three were patri- 



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Otic societies, and the total contribution toward teachers' 
salaries was about $650. Three classes were continued 
during the summer. 

Ju?iior Meetings and Entertainments 
Twelve business meetings of the Juniors were held to 
discuss class work and report on the progress of the various 
clubs represented by their chosen delegates. In several of 
these meetings Juniors entertained the members present 
with short papers, stereopticon talks and music. 

The annual entertainment for the Brooklyn classes 
was held in the Hall of the Long Island Historical Society, 
on Lincoln's Birthday, and for the Manhattan classes in 
the Auditorium of the Educational Alliance on Washing- 
ton's Birthday. 

Several classes held interesting open meetings, to which 
they invited members of neighboring classes and their par- 
ents and friends. In connection with the open meetings 
of three classes supported by the Mary Washington 
Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, contests 
were held in patriotic declamation, prizes being awarded 
by the Patriotic Committee of that society. 

Exhibitions 

The Annual Exhibition was held on April 5 and 6, at 
23 West 44th Street, at which an excellent showing was 
made of the work of the children and their teachers. 
Prizes and honors were awarded as usual. 

The exhibit sent to Milan in tlie spring of 1906 re- 
ceived a medal and it was transferred in the spring of 1907 
to Paris, where it is now on exhibition under the super- 
vision of Dr. W. H. Tolman. 



An exhibit consisting of photographs, wall bulletins 
and many models and samples of Club publications, schol- 
ars' notebooks, etc., was sent to the Jamestown Exposition. 
When returned this winter it is proposed to place this 
exhibit permanently in the Club office. 

Fort Clinton Tablet Unveiling 
On November 24th, 1906, occurred the formal unveiling 
of the historical tablet at McGown's Pass, Central Park, in 
which the Park Department and the American Scenic and 
Historic Preservation Society participated. The tablet 
was paid for by the pennies contributed for that purpose by 
the Junior Members. There was a large attendance; 
music was furnished by the Park band and one of the Club 
classes sang patriotic airs. Speeches were made by prom- 
inent citizens and the tablet was turned over to the care of 
the Park Department. 

Milestone Fund 
The children's pennies are now being collected for 
the purpose of preserving the old city milestones, of which 
seventeen have been located. The city authorities have 
approved the idea and given the care of these landmarks to 
The City History Club. A beginning was made last June 
by resetting in a safer position the stone on the old Albany 
Post Road near the Van Cortlandt Mansion. It is pro- 
posed to mark these stones with simple tablets and sur- 
round them with a protecting iron rail, in some cases 
placing an ornamental lamp above them. A complete set 
of photographs of the known milestones was presented to 
the Club by a member of the Historic Traces Committee, 
and one of the classes gave a set of lantern slides of the 



LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 



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014 222 594 3 

stones. A lecture has been prepared on " The City 
Milestones and the Old Post Road." 

Alumni Association 
Initial steps have been taken toward the organization 
of an Alumni Association composed of all former members 
of classes over sixteen years of age. The idea is to con- 
tinue the interest among those who can no longer attend 
classes or who have completed the regular course of instuc- 
tion and to prepare the members to aid in the Club work 
in some tangible way, such as becoming teachers, guides 
or assistants along other lines. 

Publications 

Through the aid the Committee on Historic Traces a 
new Excursion leaflet (No. IX. " The Historic Bronx ") 
has been issued and most of the preparations made for the 
publication of leaflets to cover the remaining parts of the 
city, viz.: Richmond, Queens and the east and north sec- 
tions of Brooklyn. The former leaflets have been revised 
and it is hoped soon to issue a complete historical guide 
book of Greater New York. 

Much material is ready for the new leaflet of the 
Government of the City of New York which it is proposed 
to issue this year. 

Summer Wo7-k 
During the summer a series of historical excursions 
and lectures was given in connection with the Brooklyn 
Children's Museum, where it is proposed to organize a 
center of city history study this coming season. 

Frank Bergen Kelley, Ph.D., 

Superintendent. 



